Alpha and Omega
by Sebastian Levesque
Summary: The Alpha of a modern-day werewolf pack imprints on the last person anyone expects, and his current mate isn't too thrilled. With this new issue causing a rift in personal loyalties, there have been signs of a loner in the area...and he's made his challenge very clear.
1. Chapter 1

The smell of dawn was intoxicating, like the first light of a cigar…and the breath after. Rumen turned on his side to face the beginnings of daylight as a mass of thin, dark stands tumbled out of his face. His back was immediately met with a more than welcome warmth and a pale arm came across his torso over the white sheets.

"Mmm…morning." A feminine voice mumbled.

"Morning." He grunted, black irises fixed on the shade-less window. He could see the front yard from the enormous bed. It was spotless, though the window itself was starting to be overtaken by the native plant life. He'd have to have someone see to that…

His mate was crawling out of bed by now, he felt. He turned himself back over to watch the young woman, a much desirable blonde. It was her natural color too with darker strands thrown into the mix. They called it "dirty blonde" – which she was in more than one way. She still had those baby blue eyes and baby cheeks, even had a nice mole on the corner of her upper lip. Her skin was smooth, absolutely pink with some form of youth she still hadn't lost. Of course, he had no idea what it was that kept her this sexy – genes from hell, maybe. With how narrow that nose was he could believe it. _'What is…'_ Rumen squinted as the girl, hunched over, pulled on her shorts. There was a very light mark on her hip; the shape appeared to be that of an oval. That was new.

The sound of shouting broke his attention. Blue eyes met his, then they both flickered to the door of the master room. His mate zipped the gap of her denim and pushed the button through its hole. Rumen now left the bed, a slight shiver building on his shoulders from the cool air. He took a moment to pull on some underwear as the commotion began to shake the morning into action. He could feel the floor shaking…which wasn't saying much when he took into account the man who was causing it. As Rumen pulled on a pair of jeans, he could hear bare feet stomping up the stairs. His mate gave him a look of agitation.

The door swung open with a rage only a brother could appreciate. Rumen was indifferent this morning, however, as he saw Rex blocking the view of the hall. He was a tad bit taller than Rumen as the older of the two. He had a nice bulk to him and a personality to match. He was unusually angry this morning, however. And he was towing someone along.

"Rex, do you have _any_ idea what time it is?" His mate, Tess, was staring at him. An unamused look took over her face as she crossed her arms over her chest; Rumen could still see the lacey bra.

"Try telling that to this little fucker!" His voice boomed. His left arm came into view then. His fingers were caught in a thick mess of loose mahogany curls. Rumen could hear a whimper. Rex pulled her from her knees until she was standing, the long mess falling from her face. Her face… His body became rigid. Rex was talking again with his annoyingly loud tone, but Rumen wasn't listening anymore. Something had him…and it had him tight. Tess must have noticed because he could see her now, talking. But he couldn't hear her. Rex had him by the shoulders, the animal rage now replaced with a genuine concern. And the girl…he couldn't shake her eyes from his mind. They were light…like amber. Round face…bronzed skin…small features…so beautiful. _'Holy fuck…'_

"_RUMEN_. Come on, snap out of it!"

The blur was over. For a second.

It all happened so suddenly.

Tess was visibly furious, but her hatred was unlike anything he'd seen. Rex, on the other hand, was a confused fool's toy. He did not see coming what happened next.

Tess grabbed the girl by her hair and slammed her down into the hardwood floor. She had her fingers on her neck while she sat positioned on the girl's legs. Rumen barely had time to think before he realized what he was doing. He'd attacked Tess, throwing her off the girl and into the hall. They stared down on another for a split second before they took aim at one another. Rumen felt her slam into him. She threw two manly punches before Rumen swung his arm to her head. She fell back, but he kicked her. One kick nailed her in the back. The second was far more powerful. She'd gotten to her feet when his foot made contact with her chest. The force of it sent her off her feet and back into the hall. Her body hit the wall and she fell to the floor. He heard several other feet making their way towards the violence from all ends of the house.

"_What the hell is wrong with you?_" Rex shouted.

"What in god's name is going on?" Rumen recognized the voice of his father.

"I don't know! One minute he was _fine_, and the next–"

"The bastard's imprinted!" Tess cried. She lifted her face and body from the floor, assisted by two other females. "He's imprinted on that…that _freak_!" Her finger pointed, fueled by repulsion, at the younger female behind Rumen. Her eyes betrayed her terror as she remained on the floor, now on her knees. All eyes went to Rumen; his heart was pounding for reasons he dared not say. His father revealed no shock or disgust if he felt it. And when he spoke, he was calm.

"Is this true, son?"

Rumen refused to meet his father's inquisitive gaze. "I…don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

I turned nineteen this year, not that anyone cares. I _know_ no one cares…that's just how things are here. I'm nothing special either. I don't have any parents anymore…not since I was thirteen; that's another story though. I'm sure you're wondering what happened after that whole mess, with Rumen I mean. Well, to put it simply, he did imprint. It's a very delicate time in a werewolf's life, albeit very temperamental as well. We never know when or with whom we might imprint. It's more complicated than you think though. See…females never imprint – the males do. It can be _years_ before this happens, and it is a rare enough event. The thing is, however, imprinting only occurs when it wants to. For it to happen within a pack…well, that's pretty damn special, don't you think? Not necessarily. Let me explain the hierarchy.

The alphas – you've met them – are Rumen and Tess. Rumen is a tall man, in his twenty-sixth year. He's got the permanent bedhead look going for him with a constant five-o'clock shadow. He's the kind of guy that sports the long hair, just over his shoulders. He's built too; we've all seen him naked at least once. The same goes for Tess, his favorite girl. She's a typical blonde girl with creamy skin; she's a bombshell made in a man's heaven. She's got a real swing in her walk, hard to tell if it's voluntary or not. Tess is only twenty-three, but she's sharp. That's Rumen and Tess though…dream couple from Hollywood.

Next comes Rex and Skylar, both twenty-seven; they take the secondary positions as Betas. Rex is Rumen's older brother and he's a hell of a lot larger. The two aren't quite twins, but the similarities are there. Compared to Skylar, the second commanding men are night and day. Skylar's bite is much more to fear than Rex's, which you wouldn't assume outright. Skylar hides his toned body well, but his level of intelligence is more to fear.

Including the top four, there are ten people living in our one, two-floor house. Rumen and Rex's father, Jared, comes next. He's well into his forties, but he's very perceptive and powerful. He still looks like he's only thirty… Amy is around Jared's age and just as dangerous. She has a sixteen year old, Amanda; she looks just like her mother despite her awful attitude. Then we have twins. Ella and Elijah are both ten, orphans like me.

You know who comes last, right? Yeah, that would be me.

* * *

Toni had been in the shed for three days now. It was smaller than she remembered despite its lack of storage items. There were two pairs of scissors and a clipping tool that she used to remove taller plant limbs. There was also a lawn mower, the type she had to push around; it did its job. Perched near the high corner above her head was a window. It didn't open and the glass was surrounded by a veil of spider webbing. Toni was sitting on the dusty flooring, made from old wood that had given her a nice round of splinters when she wasn't careful. She was on the thinner side these days, though she'd always been a small girl. Still, she could tell that her weight had dropped again. Her olive skin did not hide starvation well, but the natural hunger screaming for mercy inside her was almost second nature. Her clothes were loose when they should have been fitting her body perfectly. This past month the scraps had been very low, lower than normal. Job hunting was something reserved for the older members, even though they had trouble keeping them. They never allowed Toni this privilege, especially now.

Two days ago she wanted to change this. She tried sneaking out of the house, both hungry and anxious. She was capable of working…she just needed to find a place that would accept help. Rex had caught her that morning. He had her by the wrist, then by her hair. When he'd dragged her up the stairs she got bruises that she still had on her knees. They still hurt. Then what happened after…the way Rumen had looked at her. It was a mixture of confusion and relief. She could still feel the pinch of Tess' fingers around her neck… When the subject of imprinting came up, no one expected Rumen's answer to be so weak. Never in the three years she'd been a part of the pack did she heard the man say _"I don't know"_.

They locked her inside the old shed to keep their problems separated. If what Tess said was true, Toni knew she was in danger. Tess might kill her if she didn't leave. But Jared wouldn't let her leave. No, he chose to lock her up instead while he sorted things out with his son. Toni knew she should have been afraid for her life, but all she could really think about were the twins. Ella and Eli managed to sneak out a time or two the first day to keep her company. That was all they could do since sneaking food in and out was impossible. At this point, Toni wasn't sure if she could eat at all anyway. She was tired; all she did was sleep on and off for the last few hours. She was staring up at the window now, her legs pulled towards her chest. The sky was darker than the last time she remembered.

The lock on the door was pulled back suddenly, sending Toni backwards with a jolt from the surprise. A few chains rattled against the door and then her amber eyes were greeted by the fading daylight. Standing before her was Jared. He held his hand out, a gentle smile brightening his charcoal irises. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Had to keep you somewhere away from all the insanity." He got down onto his knee as he held both hands out, palms facing the sky. "It's okay…come on."

Toni went forward with a crawl, and then placed her hands in his. She could barely stop her body from trembling. Jared pulled her to her feet slowly and draped his arm over her shoulders.

"Keep your head down," He muttered.

They went through the back door of the house, where the kitchen was. The smell of a stew filled Toni's nostrils and her mouth was suddenly overcome with an excess of saliva. There were others in the kitchen though, and she did as Jared instructed. Head bowed, she forced down the watery substance growing in her mouth. No one spoke when they passed, but she could feel their eyes burning into her. When they came into the living room, the silence stopped. Toni could hear rapid pacing upstairs and she could smell Tess from across the room. She felt the woman's glare on her back, but no words came. Toni suddenly wondered whose cycle was coming up next…she'd lost track without the calendar to look at.

Jared stopped at the base of the stairs and removed his arm. Out of the eye of the others he brushed a long strand of hair away from her face. When he spoke, his smile was encouraging. "Rumen is up there… He wants to see you."

Toni's blank expression departed, replaced by one of panic. When she spoke, she barely recognized her own voice. "N…I can't. I can't go up there. He –"

"He won't do a thing." Jared assured her. "I promise." He pushed her onto the first step, standing back against the wall. He gave her a nod and waited.

Toni swallowed again, a sweat building on the back of her neck. With trembling hands, she went up.


	3. Chapter 3

Rumen hadn't moved from his spot on the edge of the bed for the last hour. He was hunched over with his elbows on his bare knees. He refused to leave his own room today, and aside from underwear he did not bother with clothes. He showered though. Face buried in his hands, he kept trying to calm himself down. But that was a tall order, even for him.

* * *

There were several opinions on what was happening. He recalled seeing his father taking Toni outside, but when he came back she wasn't with him. Rumen _hated_ his reaction to this, the way he panicked as if his life depended on it. With the three kids forced out of the room, he was confronted by five adults.

"Look, he doesn't know," Rex told their father. "Maybe it was a mistake."

"When have you ever known your brother to have a lack of confidence?" That was Skylar.

"Skylar _is_ right, Rumen." Amy said slowly. "And I've never seen you treat Tess like that…"

Tess spoke up next. "She can't be here, Rumen."

"Tess –" His father was cut off before he could say more.

"No," Tess looked to Rumen from across the room. "She _can't_ be here. She has to leave, Rumen." She left the room after that, leaving his father free to speak.

"Son…"  
"Dad, I told you already."

Skylar jumped in next. "Rumen we know you. That phrase isn't even in your vocabulary. You know… Which is it?"

* * *

Imprinting… Rumen never liked the subject. As a child, he remembered enjoying the romance of it all. His mother made it sound like a happily ever after scenario…like life would be complete if he could only find "the one". Hell, his mother found his father, so there was hope for him. In his teenage years, the fantasy wasn't so potent anymore. It never would be. After his mother died, it was out of the question. He went through women at a surprising rate, so said Amy. They were all the same though; he did have a type. When he found Tess, he still hadn't imprinted and so he never thought about it again. Now, what was he to do? All he could think about the last three days was of _her_, a girl he never looked twice at until now. Why was it her? She wasn't completely unfortunate looking, but she wasn't Tess after all. Tess had been around for a year longer than Toni, and only now did the wolf inside him decide it was time to settle down. It was a nightmare…

Rumen moved off his bed and to the dresser across from it. '_What is all this shit…_' He had to remind himself to have Tess clear out some of her prized beauty products. It was taking over half the damn surface… A calendar hung simply above on the wall for the month of August. He began to flip through two previous pages for June and July, taking careful note of the red and blue markings on several dates. He began to count through the last two weeks of July, grabbing a pen from the chaos of the dresser. He did this once, then again. Amanda, he saw, was the last one to complete her cycle. In another few days, it would be… He paused on the fifth. '_Tess…_' A soft knock on the door shook him from his thoughts. He put his pen down, eyes still on the calendar. "Come in."

He saw her enter with the eagerness of a snail, and she looked like hell. Her skin appeared somewhat lighter than normal, and her eyes, tired. They were still bright though. Her hair was also losing its artificial coloring with her inability to keep up with her roots; he saw they were black. The fringe looked especially long being parted to one side. Brushed backwards, she had a wild look to her. As for her body, he was beyond shocked. It gave him a good scare to see her baggy clothes. If her jeans were of the skinny variety then he was downright terrified. The feelings weren't genuine…they couldn't be. A week ago, he could care less how starved she looked and now…he was traumatized. "Let me have a look at you." He said.

The girl flinched when he spoke as if he insulted her deliberately…not surprising. She came forward though as he asked and stood in the middle of the floor. Rumen went to her slowly, first taking her hands into his. She flinched again. At six feet and three inches, Rumen towered over the teen. She had to have been at leave five feet, but she was the smallest person in the house – other than the twins. Even Amanda had some inches on her and the younger girl was still growing; the other teenager was five feet and five. He could see her greenish blue veins running over her entire hand, which was shaking. He turned her hands over once, then back; she had long fingers. Her nails were chipping, but her cuticles were perfectly fine. He pushed back the sleeve of her sweater and straightened her arm. His fingers touched a couple of large bruises. When she yanked at the contact, he stopped. "Sorry…" Glancing at her neck, he saw no bruising from Tess. Something inside him was relieved. Toni appeared to shrink away as she pulled her sleeve back down. He had seen enough. "Get something to eat." He told her, turning his back to her as he looked to the calendar again.

"Rumen…" Her voice was almost a whisper.

He didn't make any move to look at her. His own voice betrayed a vague frustration. "What?"

"I'm sorry." She left the room on a fearful wind, leaving him with something of a headache. He frowned.

* * *

Toni sped down the stairs, almost tripping on the edges of her jeans. She found Jared hadn't moved from his place and she went immediately to him.

His brow rose. "Well?"

Toni could only look at him in a daze. Before she could answer, she felt hands squeezing at her arms. They jerked her around until she was facing a blue inferno. Tess' grip tightened. "He. Is. _Mine_." She said each syllable with a hard confidence. Then her voice lowered. She suddenly looked lost. "You can't have him."

"_Tess_." A booming declaration rose above Tess and Toni's exhaustion. While Toni winced, Tess' head jerked up. Rumen was at the top of the stairs, dark eyes filled with a sharp warning. Tess hovered before releasing Toni. Jared came forward, casting a father's watchful eye on his son. Rumen returned no expressions as he came down. Toni made eye contact with the man as he passed the three. Tess promptly followed, then Jared. Toni stood in the short hall between the stairs and the living room, almost breathless. Something was wrong though. She took a few steps towards the kitchen and a lightness took over her head. A feeling of dread was brewing in her chest. She stumbled, leaning forward over the edge of one of the smaller couches. She thought she heard someone calling her name. She slowly turned herself around, meeting a pair of black eyes. They betrayed an unspoken panic.


	4. Chapter 4

The nape of her neck was burning profusely. She reached back to soothe the itching sensation, to somehow stop the blaze from spreading. Muffled by her touch, the agony subsided. When she pulled her hand away, she glimpsed a shade of red. _Blood_. Panic spread through her bones and a violent shiver passed into her veins. Someone was calling to her again, just like before. How long had they been speaking? A low rumble disrupted the soft flow of words and an animal sound made itself known. She felt her heartbeat accelerate. A snarl sounded from afar. It suffocated her. She thought she saw yellow eyes.

A desperate gasp shook Toni from the depths of a harsh shadow. She was sweating underneath heavy sheets and her head was throbbing. After the initial shock she found that the room was eerily quiet. It was not her own…no, she slept on the couch. A lamp on the bedside table was turned on despite the harsh daylight shining through sheer curtains. Her head turned so she could look at them, but she found her vision blurred and dull from an unanticipated sleep. Her ears worked for her eyes and she heard activity in the hall and voices on the first floor. She heard them rise in volume for a second, then slow into a soft hum. The foreign whispers left her curiosity spent.

A light tap on the door brought her body up from underneath the covers. Her heart seemed to be planning its escape through her chest and she could feel its echo confined to her throat. Her eyes immediately ventured down to her body, which she found had been stripped of old clothing and redressed. Her white tank she recognized instantly. Lifting the covers she found her own shorts – bright blue cotton fabric. The tap came again. Toni blocked her eyes with the back of her hand and rubbed. The obstruction of her vision seemed to slip away.

"Toni?"

She looked up again. "I'm awake." She blurted.

In came Skylar, his face red from some previous outburst – of that she was certain. His character changed and a lighthearted expression expanded over his scowl. Behind him, the door space lessened until it nearly closed. Toni smelled mint on him as he passed the bed – his bed – and seated himself across from her on a makeshift chair. With a child's stare, she watched his metallic eyes search hers. The blond said nothing for an eternity before he appeared to be satisfied with what he found. "How are you feeling?"

"Like hell…" Toni replied.

Skylar grinned at this. "I can imagine. Your time's almost up."

Toni shook her head, "I still have another week." She uncovered herself with sharp movements. She hesitated when she saw her legs. They were flawless…as if she hadn't even been touched. She took a moment to inspect her calves, but found no bruising or cuts of any kind. When she looked back to Skylar she saw his eyebrows lift. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Well, to_day_, you've been out for three hours."

"Today?" Toni looked at the digital clock next to the lamp. It was barely noon. "What is today?"

"It's Saturday."

"Sa…" Toni tried to drive her memory. Nothing came to her.

"It's still the first week of August," Skylar told her. "Can you remember _anything_ from the last few days?"

Toni couldn't answer. Thankfully, Skylar picked up on her absence of memory. He explained that she had passed out. Rumen caught her in time. Amy had Toni in her care for a day before she woke up. Jared monitored her food intake, then she was moved into Skylar's room after a brief altercation with Amanda; the girl was never at peace around Toni. Any interaction with another person was fleeting. It was like she'd been sleepwalking for the last few days. Her food had been switched to more solid items only yesterday.

"With you being so close to the end of your cycle, Rumen figured it wouldn't hurt. He's taking you out to the reserve tonight."

"Why?" Toni scooted herself to edge of his bed. "I still have another day until –"

"We know," Skylar interrupted. He looked away for the first time, clearing his throat. "Rumen wants your cycle to end a little earlier this month." Toni's expression was enough to make him go on. "The last one of us to change was Tess, remember?" He looked at her for confirmation. "In the reserve, she smelled another…wolf."

Apparently, it was male. The presence of the newcomer almost brought Tess out of the reserve itself. Tess had enough control to return to Rumen, but what she told them all was enough to put them on alert. A lone male encountered Tess, but ran for it when she gave chase. That night he only left a couple of animal remains to signify his being there. The real challenge came just a day ago when Elijah came in with a small box from the mail. Inside was a wreath of _Aconitum_.

"Is Eli okay? Did he touch it?" Toni's quick move brought her to her feet. She nearly fell when her legs, unprepared for the weight, gave out.

Skylar caught her by the arms. "Easy does it. You're still a little weak." He sat her back down, then backed away. "He's just fine. I can't say the same for Rex, the idiot. We had to knock him out to stop him from changing right there…" Skylar looked up from her, a signal that he was taking his leave. "Some of us are leaving in an hour. We'll be back before it's dark…if we can manage to find what we're looking for."

"What would that be?"

"An address."


End file.
